Army defends itself against allegations
Israel: Hamas kidnapped 199 hostages in Gaza Strip
October 16, 2023, 11:39 a.m
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In its major attack on Israel over a week ago, the radical Islamic Hamas took 199 people hostage and kidnapped them to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army now explains this. The hostages also include foreigners and people with dual nationality.
Just over a week after the devastating Hamas terrorist attack in the Israeli border area, Israel informed the families of 199 hostages that their relatives had been kidnapped to the Gaza Strip. This was said by army spokesman Daniel Hagari. When asked how the fact that so many hostages are being held in the narrow coastal strip affects Israeli attacks there, the army spokesman replied: “Our targets are based on intelligence information.” They know exactly what they are attacking there, namely the infrastructure of the ruling Hamas and high-ranking members of the organization.
At the same time, Hagari reiterated that Hamas was preventing people from moving to safety from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip as instructed by Israel. “Unfortunately, Hamas is using its people as shields and civilians are being killed,” Hagari said. However, hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents have already moved to the southern section of the coastal strip, the spokesman said. The United Nations had criticized Israel’s evacuation order and warned of a humanitarian catastrophe.
“Huge efforts” are being made to use intelligence information to find out exactly where the hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip, Hagari said. There will be no attacks “that put our people in danger.” Hamas claimed hostages were killed in the airstrikes. This cannot be independently verified.
Hamas launched a major attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7th. It fired thousands of rockets and invaded Israel with hundreds of fighters, who wreaked havoc on civilians and kidnapped hostages. According to Israeli figures, more than 1,400 people were killed in Israel. The Israeli army then put the Gaza Strip under constant fire and is preparing a ground offensive in the densely populated Palestinian area. According to Palestinian information, the number of deaths following Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has now risen to around 2,750 people.